The breakdown happened a lot sooner than I thought it would, I'll admit.
Weird thing to call 50% GDP states and democratic fundamentalism "liberalism".
>>24847804Don't forget to buy some more trumpcoin so he can continue to turn the whitehouse into one of his shitty hotels.
>>24848231By 2028 MAGA will have produced an economic recession which will publicize the government's blatant corruption, leave multiple countries like Venezuela even more in tatters, and will have discredited conservativism for the foreseeable future, leading conservatives to chimp out and become Breivik style terrorists.
>>24846319>That's not what liberalism means. Ive already laid this out. Liberalism doesn't mean liberal democracy, which is a political system that evolved within liberalism, which is an economic system.There are both political and economic aspects, and the political aspects (individual rights, and limiting state power) reflect the economic aspects of free markets and private property. A really radical liberal (i.e. a libertarian) would say something like "free minds and free markets." This all came out of the Enlightenment in Europe. The idea is that political liberalism and economic liberalism are linked. At any rate, one of the arguments today is whether that will continue or not, or whether it might be replaced by something else. Like you could have an illiberal state that is authoritarian in many respects but that also turns out to be compatible with a market economy.>>24847558>Are there any indications that China is gearing up for an invasion of Taiwan. Not imminently but they are "gearing up" or investing a lot of money and training in what they'd need to do to pull something like that off, for sure. Like building / training with amphibious landing ships, expanding their version of the Marine Corps, and building up their navy in general while also doing exercises that have them encircling Taiwan. I don't think it's a near-term risk though. This kind of thing is the most difficult military operation to pull off and they'd have to do it on large scale without any IRL experience at war. Doesn't seem like a good deal.>Last I checked, most of their economic growth in the last fifty years came from investment in capital, not in any technological innovation--even as their pouring more and more money into R&D.Yeah. Well they have some high-tech companies, like my 3D printer is Chinese. There are these sleek tier 1 cities, but there's a crazy difference between those cities and everywhere else, like the fact that there's 600 million people there making $5/day. That's what I read the trade war is about, China produces way more stuff than its own domestic economy can absorb. Trump wants the U.S. to make more stuff, and the U.S. wants China to buy more of its own stuff, but China can't do that because it's economic model isn't built that way. There's really no social safety net there either and the population is rapidly aging.>>24847652>As an aside, the reason the Russians actually invaded Ukraine, which you might be tempted to think of as a counterexample, is because the Russian state is in a much more precarious position than the CCP, for a host of reasons that mostly boil down to less competent administration. I think that's right. The Russian state is some kind of half-built loony bin and I don't think Putin and his top guys really know how to maneuver without generating some kind of crisis or emergency situation.
>>24848317I agree entirely with you; but thats literally what I said
Do any of you wear headphones while reading? Do you listen to music or rain sounds or something? If so, do you match it to the book you're reading?I have a pair of noise canceling earbuds that do a pretty good job of quietting the outside world. Sometimes I'll put on a little white noise too.
>>24847303I listen to light academia.
I often do. Especially now since I don't live alone anymore, it's really a must.Keep returning to listen to Stars of the Lid when I read, really the important thing is that it's music without vocals or any sudden jumps in tempo.
Music on my noise-cancelling headphones helps motivate me to read, especially in the morning. Usually ambient soundscapes or other very slow-moving drone sounds. For fiction I do try to fit the music to the book, but for nonfiction and philosophy I want plain and slow-moving sounds or (ideally) complete silence. Even for fiction the album often plays and I'm focused enough on reading that I don't notice when the music stops but I keep reading. Other kinds of white noises (sounds of rain, storms, wind, waves, "color" noises, even dinosaur ambience) generally work too. If I really need to focus on something I have a pair of 3M peltor x5 earmuffs to block out as much sound as possible. They are better than my "noise-cancelling" headphones but I don't think anything is truly "noise cancelling" unless you book a soundproof room. Off-topic, but they also help quiet a racing brain when I'm trying to sleep. Maybe that can help another anon out there.
>>24847326>I don't live alone anymore, it's really a must.Why is this?
Headphones are anti-life devices and I shan't be using them in public.
looking for academic texts that can contextualize religion in egypt and mesopotamia, both in temples and serious ceremony, and everyday worship from regular people. I know there's probably some classics that do a good job of it but I want the most up to date findings and discoveries if I can
>>24848207Ancient City by Fustel De Coulanges maybe?
>>24848207try internet searching
>>24848443I was just curious if other people have vetted what's out there
any good books on the history of Liberia?
>>24845459Western Africa countries are really great to visit for western tourists. >Insanely cheap>100% tailored hotels/resorts>Incredible nature and safari tours>Rural areas are the safest in the whole countrySome places like Senegal have become over touristic due to the influx. I personally still love The Gambia the most, but Sierra Leone and Liberia are close seconds. And fuck Ghana for making us aryans apply for visas. "Friendliest west Africans" my ass
>>24848155I have always had good experience with Ghanaians, and they are among the most successful Africans in the West.
>>24845489No we don't you brain dead Europoid. Is your brain completely fried from all that migrant cum you ingested?
>>24847655They have done well in rebuilding. Where are you from the Philippines? They has been an influx of Asian tourists in gh>>24848155I can smell your French hands typing anon
>>24845412
two sentence horror
>>24847877OK, that one was scary.
>>24845426Close the door and let the son die outside.
>>24847136Contribution?
I opened the door and there was a scary monster there. It was from a popular tv show, movie or online copypasta.
As I left the house that morning, I noticed I'd picked up a nail the day before, and my tire had gone flat. I'd have to take public transportation if I was going to make it to my shift at Walmart on time.
Trying to get some traction on Royal Road(don't be a dick, i write/read for fun and for people who want to have fun)I wrote a Lit RPG, seems to be the most popular genre there, how do I get traction on it?How do I network and build in royal road?
>>24848134is that supposed to invalidate her arguments
>>24847525The entire thing was actually a metaphor for black dick.
i'm too right-wing to ever consider reading literature or philosophy written by women or atheists. i also want to build a giant wall around the country with machine gun turrets every 1,000ft and end all forms of immigration, legal or otherwise. so i tend to avoid libertarian points of view.
>>24848401so it would be like the wall in communist east germany? wow how "right wing" of you!
>>24848406yes, only in this instance it would be there to keep people like you out, instead of people like me in.
>What is /wng/ - Web Novel General?A general for readers and authors involved or interested in the growing phenomenon of 'web novels', serialized English fiction posted to websites such as: Royal Road, Webnovel, Scribblehub, Wattpad, Archive of Our Own, Spacebattles, HFY, various personal author websites, and more>Why read web novels?Not for prose or tight editing or deep themes, frankly. As a whole, web novels are infamous for content sprawl and pacing issues. If you enjoy having millions of words to sink your teeth into to get to know the world and characters, though, you may be interested. Keeping up with other readers on a weekly basis to discuss the story's events unfolding is another perk, in the same way discussing an ongoing TV show might be.>Why write web novels?Ease of access & potential for Patreon earnings. Many successful authors gain an audience on their website of choice and funnel their readers into a Patreon. See graphtreon.com/top-patreon-creators/writing for an idea of what some are earning.Also, once an author has earned a fanbase, transitioning into an Amazon self-publishing career is several orders of magnitude easier than starting 'dry'.>/wng/ authors.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSNZali-jIk2MASsAWVf8N7A8BlSyzPbAFV_BhsA5Ip3SWfMPWKxaXf8Pdb7f0TgFyWis31BzirtPeR/pubhtml>Advice for Noobs!Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>24848386Why is this?
>>24848391Guy who can stop time for 5 seconds but is otherwise completely mundane.
>>24848391>suicide squadEvery single movie, show, video game about or featuring this retarded group of ...people? (what are they even supposed to be? superheroes, criminals, villains? who the fuck knows ) have flopped and yet you want to spend time and effort and write a web novel about them? Are you stupid?
>>24848458It's a group of d-list villains that get forced into missions, basically the main draw is that some of them die and you don't know which ones will survive the story. They're written as anti-heroes.
>>24847503haha understandable>>24847575>>24847582Thanks for the comments and both of you are completely right. I actually uploaded chapter 1 and 5 so the disconnect is my fault. chapter 2https://pastebin.com/h8L2cNWRChapter 3https://pastebin.com/hhGN5qeN
Since learning Spanish and Portuguese largely to read Spanish and Portuguese scholastic text to be up to date with the revival of baroque scholastic tradition. I've noticed that when it comes to language proficiency there is a clear sign between fluency and non fluency so much so that there are grading patterns I.e. a1-c3 that are very thorough and rigorous and even language learning is a multi faceted activity. So much so even people with large vocabs still don't feel fluent when it comes to conversation.All this is to say that, how many people do we know or society deems to be intelligent but if we were able to translate their expertise in a science or humanities subject into a language they'd have more broken English than an Indian fresh off the boat or Chinese immigrant from some rural rice field. Language learning taught me that know and understanding are two complete different things and that it's easy to have the illusion of mastery until put into practise. But there isn't this same clear visual or audial fluency when it comes to other areas of knowledge where the masses can easily be fooled into thinking they're experts. Knowlwdge of key terms, jargon, ideas which if translated into a language it would be b1 tier at best and be equivalent of a guy learning random phrases in another language without deep knowledge of the grammar or syntax. But besides the doomer mentality I've also wondered if there are ways to learn true knowledge acquisition that isn't mere fact gathering but also teach to think in the subject you are learning on an intuitive level. So far I think just practise is the best and writing novel research is the best but I'm not sureAny of you guys got any ideas or good guides?
>>24848330Portuguese is cancer
From a higher point of view, one of the main eternal truths is this: on this earth, which most resembles a hellish prison where all living beings serve an unknown sentence, we are all brothers and companions, for we carry the same curse, we are victims of existence, of life itself. We are all afflicted by the infinite sufferings and misfortunes that plague this world. Our differences are merely apparent, for in our core, we are the same. We are, so to speak, brothers in suffering. We all derive from the same eternal, insatiable, irrational, and blind force. We are all Will.To believe that we all suffer equally that our suffering is of equal intensity—is a colossal stupidity. If an individual’s intellectual and intuitive capacities prove to be of great preeminence, almost superior, then there lies the perfect condition to grasp and feel, in their full magnitude, the pains and torments of existence, whether internal or external. The reverse also holds true: the more dull the individual, the lesser, so to speak, their capacity to suffer. Their sensitivity whether intuitive or intellectual is so low that only a great tragedy can affect them. Their existence is analogous to that of other, even more irrational, animals.
>>24847521Yes, I corrected inconsistencies in the argument. If you didn't like it, you could just hide it, but no, you're still here testing my patience.
>>24847535So much for 'brothers in suffering'
>>24847535Ok let me write a "different" post that will "feel different" so we can switch this thread up:One reason life might feel like a hellish prison to you is that you're posting functionally the same thread on 4chan over and over. The answers you seek aren't here, Anon.Hmm I expanded the text and corrected an inaccuracy but ... doesn't feel too different. Or work differently. Or put either one of us into a new position. It's almost like "differences are merely apparent, for in [their] core, [they] are the same."If you are determined that the answers you seek are intellectual and that your intellectual efforts are wisely invested on an image board, let's do it. Your entire first paragraph, doesn't contain a single argument, but does contain a single sentiment, one that begins to realize existential aspect of human existence, but one that resigns before grappling with it at all. >If an individual’s intellectual and intuitive capacities prove to be of great preeminence, almost superior, then there lies the perfect condition to grasp and feel, in their full magnitude, the pains and torments of existenceThis is a common trope. "I suffer because I'm just that developed" as though evolution optimizes intellect for misery. You're not miserable because you are high IQ. You are miserable because your IQ is disproportionate to your EQ. It's your high IQ that you formulate thoughts and arguments. It's your low EQ that you feel the need to project your feelings onto the world as such.To leave you with an image, you wouldn't really complain to a friend "Oh woe is me, my eyesight is too good... I see so many ugly people. Folks with glasses don't understand my pain.". And if you did complain like this, it would likely only be once, since friends don't let friends wallow in self-inflicted misery.
>>24847470nice em dash mr GPT
>>24847478/thread kek
>read 30 chapters>still sucks ballsWhen does it get good?
>>24840139provide an example of bad writing in ASOIAF>muh dany diarrhea!!Actually well written prose with good cadence but is only shit on because muh poop hehe, great argument. The only one I can agree on is the fat pink mast.
I already did: >>24840141You're welcome, anon.
>>24848430pink masts, myrish swamp. Boom
the last Bran chapter in ADWD is the best written chapter in the series
>>24848430Provide an example of what you consider good writing in ASOAIF, for keks.
Unironically the most important philosphy book of the last 50 years
>>24847296>baldingcut it out or God will send the bears after you, you twat
>>24847214Most of RWtwit turned on BAP recently for praising Indians
>>24846468LOL no>>24847376Believes in eugenics like a good nazilib
>>24847100Yeah the Greeks thought Hesiod was a chump and the Romans considered Cincinnatus a disgrace
>>24846468>selective breedingfemales do that kek
So IT is the Crimson Queen, right?
>>24847710and people pay $$ for that drivel
>Fujimori was evil because this guy's wife had a lesbian experienceI don't get it
>>24848290Western countries have a tizzy over ethnic outsiders taking office, meanwhile south Americans put an Asian in charge and nobody gives a fuck
Post any nonfiction that spins a good yarn. >The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John Bacon>For three decades following World War II, the Great Lakes overtook Europe as the epicenter of global economic strength. The region was the beating heart of the world economy, possessing all the power and prestige Silicon Valley does today. And no ship represented the apex of the American Century better than the 729-foot-long Edmund Fitzgerald―the biggest, best, and most profitable ship on the Lakes.>But on November 10, 1975, as the “storm of the century” threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the Mighty Fitz found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223736260-the-gales-of-november
Crazy Horse and Custer by Stephen Ambrose>On the sparkling morning of June 25, 1876, 611 U.S. Army soldiers rode toward the banks of the Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory, where 3,000 Indians stood waiting for battle. The lives of two great warriors would soon be forever linked throughout Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux, and General George Armstrong Custer of the Seventh Cavalry. Both were men of aggression and supreme courage. Both had become leaders in their societies at very early ages; both had been stripped of power, and in disgrace had worked to earn back the respect of their people. And to both of them, the unspoiled grandeur of the Great Plains of North America was an irresistible challenge. Their parallel lives would pave the way, in a manner unknown to either, for an inevitable clash between two nations fighting for possession of the open prairie.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43849.Crazy_Horse_and_Custer
>>24844321many of them start digging kek>>24846421>>24846422>>24846424>>24846425
The Fall of Japan: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific by William Craig>story of the Japanese defeat during the last three years of World War II, from Japanese plans to regain control of the war at sea to the devastating bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasakihttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26869906-the-fall-of-japan
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel>September 29, 1913: the steamship Dresden is halfway between Belgium and England. On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionizing global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide, or murder.>After rising from an impoverished European childhood, Diesel had become a multi-millionaire with his powerful engine that does not require expensive petroleum-based fuel. In doing so, he became not only an international celebrity but also the enemy of two extremely powerful men: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world.>The Kaiser wanted the engine to power a fleet of submarines that would finally allow him to challenge Great Britain’s Royal Navy. But Diesel had intended for his engine to be used for the betterment of mankind and refused to keep the technology out of the hands of the British or any other nation. For John D. Rockefeller, the engine was nothing less than an existential threat to his vast and lucrative oil empire. As electric lighting began to replace kerosene lamps, Rockefeller’s bottom line depended on the world’s growing thirst for gasoline to power its automobiles and industries.>At the outset of this new age of electricity and oil, Europe stood on the precipice of war. Rudolf Diesel grew increasingly concerned about Germany’s rising nationalism and military spending. The inventor was on his way to London to establish a new company that would help Britain improve its failing submarine program when he disappeared.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161058169-the-mysterious-case-of-rudolf-diesel
